30/07/2025
Changes to company size thresholds means more will be exempt from audit, expanding the non audit firm horizon by squashing the audit sector further.
"Legislation increasing the company size thresholds means more companies will be eligible to claim audit exemption and prepare financial statements under a less onerous reporting regime.
The previous Conservative government proposed increasing the company size thresholds in March 2024. There was, of course, a general election in the summer of 2024 and these proposals were not subsequently mentioned in the King’s Speech in July 2024, indicating that they had been moved down the list of priorities by the new Labour government.
On 14 October 2024, the Department for Business and Trade announced that it would be pressing ahead with the increase in company size thresholds and various amendments to the directors’ report. It did, however, confirm that it would not be going ahead with plans to redefine a medium-sized company (as indicated in the original proposals) as this would be included in a more holistic project that will form part of the Future of Corporate Reporting. This consultation is expected to be launched in 2025."
The UK government published The Companies (Accounts and Reports) (Amendment and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2024 (SI 2024/1303) on 9 December